Golf Digest, Chase Ink Deal

Chase is playing a round with Golf Digest this fall in an attempt to attract affluent business travelers to its Chase Marriott Rewards Card.

To reach this desirable demographic, Chase has created custom, single-sponsored Metro Guide booklets that will appear in the September and October issues of Golf Digest.

The guides correspond with cities that are hosting major golf tournaments. Specifically they will feature Atlanta in September, home of the Tour Championship, and San Francisco in October where the President's Cup will be played. The guides were written by Golf Digest’s travel editor.

A companion editorial section will run on GolfDigest.com with expanded content. Promotional banners will run on WSJ.com, driving to online Metro Guide content on GolfDigest.com. A targeted e-mail campaign will hit 40,000 of the magazine’s opt-in subscribers.

The campaign comes as spending in the credit card category has been slashed. Media dollars spent behind credit cards fell 50 percent for the first five months of the year compared to the year prior, per The Nielsen Company. This was the steepest drop of any of the top-50 highest spending categories including auto.

Chase spent $29 million behind its credit cards for the first six months. In 2009, it spent $152 million for the year.

Still, Tom Bair, publisher, Golf Digest said the partnership was an natural fit because “business travel and golf go hand-in-hand. The Chase Marriott Rewards Card targets the same business executives who make up a large percentage of our readership, so this program was a natural connection.”

The guides will also be reprinted and distributed at airport lounges in up to three key Chase markets, which have yet to be determined.

Chase is playing a round with Golf Digest this fall in an attempt to attract affluent business travelers to its Chase Marriott Rewards Card.

To reach this desirable demographic, Chase has created custom, single-sponsored Metro Guide booklets that will appear in the September and October issues of Golf Digest.

The guides correspond with cities that are hosting major golf tournaments. Specifically they will feature Atlanta in September, home of the Tour Championship, and San Francisco in October where the President's Cup will be played. The guides were written by Golf Digest’s travel editor.

A companion editorial section will run on GolfDigest.com with expanded content. Promotional banners will run on WSJ.com, driving to online Metro Guide content on GolfDigest.com. A targeted e-mail campaign will hit 40,000 of the magazine’s opt-in subscribers.

The campaign comes as spending in the credit card category has been slashed. Media dollars spent behind credit cards fell 50 percent for the first five months of the year compared to the year prior, per The Nielsen Company. This was the steepest drop of any of the top-50 highest spending categories including auto.

Chase spent $29 million behind its credit cards for the first six months. In 2009, it spent $152 million for the year.

Still, Tom Bair, publisher, Golf Digest said the partnership was an natural fit because “business travel and golf go hand-in-hand. The Chase Marriott Rewards Card targets the same business executives who make up a large percentage of our readership, so this program was a natural connection.”

The guides will also be reprinted and distributed at airport lounges in up to three key Chase markets, which have yet to be determined.